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Frank Bainimarama to officially step down as head of Fijian military

Fiji's interim prime minister Frank Bainimarama will tomorrow step down as chief of the military, paving the way for the 2006 coup leader to stand in general elections to be held within the next six months. Auckland University political scientist and Pacific Studies specialist Dr Steven Ratuva says Bainimarama's replacement, Land Force Commander Colonel Mosese Tikoitoga, is a good choice.

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MARK COLVIN: Fiji's interim prime minister Frank Bainimarama will officially step down tomorrow as head of the military.

The move will pave the way for the 2006 coup leader to stand in general elections to be held within the next six months.

But Auckland University political scientist and Pacific Studies specialist Dr Steven Ratuva says the Colonel is a good choice - particularly given rumours that Commodore Bainimarama had been considering appointing his brother-in-law Francis Kean - a convicted criminal - for the job.

Dr Ratuva talked to New Zealand correspondent Dominique Schwartz about the new military commander.

STEVEN RATUVA: He's kind of soft spoken. He's a humble kind of a gentleman type. At the moment he's the Land Force Commander, which is a very senior position. He's had very, very intensive training in Australia and in Malaysia and other places, and he's regarded very well within the military ranks, and over the years, he's been very close to Bainimarama.

DOMINIQUE SCHWARTZ: How big is the Land Forces?

STEVEN RATUVA: The Land Forces is the most significant component of the Fijian military. You're probably talking about like more than 50 per cent, maybe 60-70 per cent of the entire military.

DOMINIQUE SCHWARTZ: And in terms of Colonel Tikoitoga, was he involved in the 2006 coup led by Commodore Bainimarama?

STEVEN RATUVA: Well of course he was, because he was part of the military. He was part of the chain of command, so everyone in the military was either directly or indirectly part of the coup.

DOMINIQUE SCHWARTZ: Will there be some people in the military whose noses will be put out of joint by this appointment?

STEVEN RATUVA: There would certainly be individuals who probably think that they probably would have been better. I mean, and I think given the rumours that were around, that he was going to appoint the brother-in-law, given that too, a lot of military officers would probably opt for Tikoitoga rather than the other option.

DOMINIQUE SCHWARTZ: Do you believe that Francis Kean, Commodore Bainimarama's brother-in-law who had in the past been convicted of manslaughter, do you think he was ever a serious contender for that job?

STEVEN RATUVA: I don't believe so. When the rumours were around, I had my doubts. Bainimarama, who's probably going to choose somebody to minimise all the controversy, rather than you know start off his political career in a big, negative bang, which would come back and haunt him later.

I mean, in terms of what I know of Mosese Tikoitoga, in terms of what I know of his personality and present capability, he probably will be able to maintain a sense of stability within the military.